Vacherie historian was ‘the genealogist'

Published: Friday, December 21, 2012 at 7:22 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 21, 2012 at 7:22 p.m.

The Vacherie native and Thibodaux resident died last week at age 74, leaving behind a wife, two daughters, five grandchildren and thousands of pages of local history and genealogies.

When it came to Vacherie, Oubre was a walking encyclopedia and history book, said his friend Jay Schexnaydre.

“If you asked about something in Vacherie's past, he didn't even need to look it up,” said Schexnaydre, the president of the Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans and manager at Laura Plantation. “He could tell you about your ancestors going back a hundred years and who started the stores and basically anything you could ask him.”

Schexnaydre said Oubre's job as a rehabilitation counselor with the state sent him all over southeast Louisiana. Whenever he got the chance, he would visit local courthouses to delve deep into historical records, hoping to flesh out his knowledge of the area's history.

“This was well before the Internet. He would go into these courthouses and go through these old, dusty books with the ink almost worn away. A lot of the times, the records were in French,” Schexnaydre said. “There are very few people still alive today who are capable of doing what he did anymore.”

When he couldn't find what he needed locally, Schexnaydre said, Oubre would travel to other cities to dig through mountains of microfilm, correspond with French and German archivists, and sort through endless online records.

Oubre wrote extensively about southeast Louisiana's history but is especially known as the definitive source on Vacherie's past.

He contributed frequently to genealogical journals and books about Louisiana history. But his masterpiece was the more than 800-page “Vacherie, St. James Parish Louisiana: History and Genealogy.”

“That book was a tremendous undertaking,” said Clifton Theriot, an archivist and librarian at Nicholls State University. “He was absolutely a pro. His research was exhaustive.”

Theriot said Oubre was essentially “the genealogist” for much of Thibodaux and the surrounding area.

“We often called on his expertise,” Theriot said. “If you were doing any kind of research into local history, he was always a good place to start.”

Schexnaydre said Oubre had other hobbies besides his historical pursuits — he was an avid outdoorsman and had a deep knowledge and love of swamp wildlife and plant life.

“He was just a naturally curious person,” Shexnaydre said. “He wanted to know as much as he could about the world.”

<p>Elton Oubre was one for the history books.</p><p>The Vacherie native and Thibodaux resident died last week at age 74, leaving behind a wife, two daughters, five grandchildren and thousands of pages of local history and genealogies. </p><p>When it came to Vacherie, Oubre was a walking encyclopedia and history book, said his friend Jay Schexnaydre.</p><p>“If you asked about something in Vacherie's past, he didn't even need to look it up,” said Schexnaydre, the president of the Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans and manager at Laura Plantation. “He could tell you about your ancestors going back a hundred years and who started the stores and basically anything you could ask him.”</p><p>Schexnaydre said Oubre's job as a rehabilitation counselor with the state sent him all over southeast Louisiana. Whenever he got the chance, he would visit local courthouses to delve deep into historical records, hoping to flesh out his knowledge of the area's history.</p><p>“This was well before the Internet. He would go into these courthouses and go through these old, dusty books with the ink almost worn away. A lot of the times, the records were in French,” Schexnaydre said. “There are very few people still alive today who are capable of doing what he did anymore.”</p><p>When he couldn't find what he needed locally, Schexnaydre said, Oubre would travel to other cities to dig through mountains of microfilm, correspond with French and German archivists, and sort through endless online records.</p><p>Oubre wrote extensively about southeast Louisiana's history but is especially known as the definitive source on Vacherie's past.</p><p>He contributed frequently to genealogical journals and books about Louisiana history. But his masterpiece was the more than 800-page “Vacherie, St. James Parish Louisiana: History and Genealogy.”</p><p>“That book was a tremendous undertaking,” said Clifton Theriot, an archivist and librarian at Nicholls State University. “He was absolutely a pro. His research was exhaustive.”</p><p>Theriot said Oubre was essentially “the genealogist” for much of Thibodaux and the surrounding area.</p><p>“We often called on his expertise,” Theriot said. “If you were doing any kind of research into local history, he was always a good place to start.”</p><p>Schexnaydre said Oubre had other hobbies besides his historical pursuits — he was an avid outdoorsman and had a deep knowledge and love of swamp wildlife and plant life. </p><p>“He was just a naturally curious person,” Shexnaydre said. “He wanted to know as much as he could about the world.”</p><p>Staff Writer Matthew </p><p>Albright can be reached at </p><p>448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.</p>